Track Season 2010 Report
Last year was my first year of racing at the Dick Lane Velodrome. It was a fun experience moving up from the Cs to the Bs that I wrote about last year.
This year my team (FM:Race) was out in full force and we did really well! Most of the team details are here: "FM:Race 2010 Track Season ends with a win!". The short version of the team story is that we were the first place team out of 25, and Justin of FM:Race got 2nd place overall individual for the season.
The FM:Race B field between races, Jim, Me, and Jason. Photo Credit: Dan McCauley
I came in 10th place for the season racing in the Bs the entire time, a bump up from 25th last year with a combination of D, C, and B points. Aside from showing up, I had two goals for track racing this year:
Do some team pursuit and madison racing
There weren't really any opportunities to do team pursuits, but I participated in almost all of the events this year. Usually, Jason was my partner but occasionally I raced with Justin. The Madison is a crazy race, and a lot of fun. Us FMers were the slow ones, being the only Bs racing in a field of As (most of whom were Pros each time). Here's Jason and I doing an exchange while Joe Eldridge comes around us on the outside:
Photo Credit: Todd Kaminski
Jason and I got better and better at exchanges as the year progressed, and the most we would get lapped in a 50 lap race was 3 laps. If we both get faster next year, we might be able to snag some more points, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can pull off.
Get points in a Pro Series event
This one turned out to be a lot easier expected, with me grabbing 3rd place in a 5 lap scratch race at "The Omnium" event early in the year and taking home a few dollars in winngins. Then, at "The Madison" event later in the year I got a 4th place in a 5 lap scratch race and thought I was done, so I worked for Jason in the points race (getting lapped and pulling him off the front a few times) which helped him get 3rd place. I kept racing in the other races to get some more time on the bike and, unexpectedly, I managed to win the Miss-n-out which got me 4th place overall and sent me home with $70! 12 total pro race points over the season definitely counts for getting points.
Photo Credit: Dan McCauley
This year at the track was lots of fun. 40 race days, 50+ hours, and almost 800 miles. All more than last year, and I continue to get faster. I set a new personal record in the flying 200m tt at 12.79s, and set personal bests in a few other events. I also set a new personal best in goldsprints at the DLV end of season party with a 24.48s 500m, which on a track instead of rollers would be a world record (Especially at 48:16!).
Will next year be faster? Will I move up to the As? Or will I remember that weekends should be spent mountain biking...
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Chris Kelly
